To your good health: A question concerning the effects of reheated coffee

Saturday

Mar 29, 2014 at 12:01 AM

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife continually tells me that I should not drink reheated coffee because it concentrates the acid in coffee and is bad for me. I never drink more than one cup per day, and I always use a non-dairy creamer and Splenda. I have researched this question online and several responses say it is not harmful. In the meantime, she drinks orange juice every day, which has a lower pH than coffee. She sometimes complains about acid indigestion. Your comments? - A.

ANSWER: Acid is measured by the pH scale - with the lower the number, the more acid in the liquid. Coffee has a pH of about 5, slightly acidic, whereas orange juice has a pH of 3, which means it is a hundred times more acidic. Reheating coffee should not change the acid concentration.

Your stomach has a pH of about 1.5 - much more acid than either juice or coffee. The caffeine in coffee can stimulate your stomach to make more acid, and can weaken the sphincter muscle that keeps the stomach acid from going up into the esophagus. However, if it isn't bothering you, there is no reason to stop drinking coffee.

One cup of juice usually doesn't cause acid indigestion either.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Stay Connected

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The St. Augustine Record ~ One News Place, St. Augustine, FL 32086 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service